By Budd Bailey

Tyler Myers of the Sabres

Taken in Round 1 in 2008

The next pick: Defenseman Colten Teubert went at No. 13 to the Kings. Los Angeles probably was disappointed that Myers slipped past. Teubert only played in 24 NHL games, all for Edmonton in 2011-12. Otherwise, he was in the minors or Europe.

Other picks in the round: It was a strong year for players who turned in long NHL careers (some of them are still doing so). That was true at the top: Steven Stamkos of the Lightning, Drew Doughty of the Kings, Zach Bogosian of the Thrashers, Alex Pietrangelo of the Blues, and Luke Schenn of the Maple Leafs. The best choice, though, might have been Erik Karlsson at No. 15 to Ottawa. Future Sabre Cody Hodgson went 10th to Vancouver, and Buffalo took Tyler Ennis at No. 26.

The details: Everyone in Buffalo liked the idea of the Sabres taking a giant defenseman along the lines of Zdeno Chara. The 6-foot-8 Myers passed the physical, and won the Calder Trophy in 2009-10. But his play slid a bit after that, and he was dealt to Winnipeg in the Evander Kane swap. Myers has spent the last two seasons with Winnipeg.

Other 12s: Marshawn Lynch (2007) started his career with the Bills with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons. But he was crowded out of the picture at running back, and traded to Seattle for a draft pick. There he ran for four straight 1,200-yard seasons, scoring 47 touchdowns. Tony Hunter didn’t live up to the hype in two years here and was traded for Vince Ferragamo. Phil Dokes (1977) had a forgettable two years with the Bills. Mikhail Gregorenko (2012) was advertised as a big scorer when he was draft, but the Sabres never saw that. He was traded to Colorado and now is back in the NHL after four years with CSKA Moscow. Morris Titanic (1973) never could squeeze into a crowded Sabre roster. Roger Vyse (2005) had 27 goals for the Bandits in 2009. Troy Cordingley was on the undefeated Bandits’ team in 1993, and spent seven seasons here. He later came back as a coach. Amanda Leveille (2015) was the first draft pick to sign a contract with a team in the history of the National Women’s Hockey League. The Beauts’ goalie was named goalie of the year in the NWHL in 2018.

He got away: The Bills couldn’t sign defensive lineman Dick Evey after the 1964 draft. He joined the Bears and played with Chicago for six years.

(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)

Budd Bailey

Budd Bailey has been involved in almost every aspect of the local sports scene for the last 40 years. He worked for WEBR Radio, the Buffalo Sabres' public relations department and The Buffalo News during that time. In that time he covered virtually every aspect of the area's sports world, from high schools to the Bills and Sabres and everything in between. Along the way, Budd served as a play-by-play announcer for the Bisons, an analyst for the Stallions, and a talk-show host. He won the National Lacrosse League's Tom Borrelli Award as the media personality of the year in 2011, and was a finalist for that same award in 2017. Budd's seventh and eighth books, one on the Transcontinental Railroad and the other about Ichiro Suzuki, are scheduled to be released in the fall.

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